“At St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, we believe that the teaching of Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education and Relationships & Sex Education is an important aspect of the National Curriculum that needs to be delivered to pupils sensitively and at an age appropriate level.”
Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) and Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSE) encompass lifelong learning about physical, moral and emotional development. Our curriculum is designed to equip children with the knowledge to make informed decisions about their well-being, health and relationships as well as prepare them for successful adult life.
Our intention is that when children leave St. Joseph’s, they will do so with the knowledge, understanding and emotions to be able to play an active, positive and successful role in today’s diverse society. Any teaching about building positive relationships, acting safely and understanding the wider world is deeply rooted in the Catholic Church’s teaching about what it means to be truly human in Christ, to live well in relationships with others and to be presented within a positive framework of Christian virtues.
St Joseph’s PSHE and RSE programme will:
- Acknowledge, respect and value the moral teachings of the Catholic Church.
- Provide information which is relevant and appropriate to the age and maturity of the pupils.
- Develop resilience, to know how and when to ask for help, and to know where to access support or advice.
- Develop personal attributes including kindness, integrity, generosity and honesty.
- Provide children and young people with a positive understanding of what constitutes positive relationships, with particular reference to friendships, family relationships and relationships with other children and with adults.
- Address online safety and appropriate behaviour that is relevant to pupils’ lives.
- Ensure children know how to report concerns when they suspect or know something is wrong.
- Promote good health and understanding of physical development, respecting and reverencing the wonder of the body.
- Provide information on the wider world beyond school, including money management and careers.
Life to The Full Plus Programme
At St Joseph’s’, we have chosen to use the programme: Life to the Full Plus by Ten:Ten Resources to support the teaching of PSHE and RSE within the school.
Life to the Full Plus is a comprehensive and fully resourced programme which embraces and fulfils the statutory curriculum for RSE and each branch of PSHE, within a Catholic Context. It is based on ‘A Model Catholic RSE [Relationships and Sex Education] Curriculum’ created by the Catholic Education Service and was highlighted as a work of good practice by the Department of Education.
The programme adopts a spiral curriculum approach so that, as our children go through the programme year after year, their learning will develop and grow at an age-appropriate stage, with each stage building on from the last. The entire teaching is underpinned by a religious understanding that our deepest identity is as a child of God– created, chosen and loved by God. Life to the Full Plus contains creative resources to engage, inform and inspire our children. This includes interactive video content, story-based activities, a range of teaching tools, original worship music and an accompanying programme of classroom prayers. Life to the Full Plus follows a four-stage structure which is repeated across four different learning stages:
- Early Years Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception)
- Key Stage One (Years 1 and 2)
- Lower Key Stage Two (Years 3 and 4)
- Upper Key Stage Two (Years 5 and 6)
Within each learning stage, there are three Modules which are based on the Model Catholic RSE Curriculum:
- Created and Loved by God (exploring the individual).
- Created to Love Others (exploring an individual’s relationship with others).
- Created to Live in Community – local, national and global (exploring the individual’s relationships with the wider world).
Each Module is then broken down into units of work.
| Module 1 | Created and Loved by God |
| Units | Religious Understanding
Me, My Body, My Health Emotional Well-Being Life Cycles |
| Module 2 | Created to Love Others |
| Units | Religious Understanding
Personal Relationships Life Online Keeping Safe |
| Module 3 | Created to Live in Community |
| Units | Religious Understanding
Living in the Wider World |
The scheme works to provide a comprehensive PSHE and RSE curriculum so that children at St Joseph’s are equipped with the skills, knowledge, understanding and emotions to be able to play an active, positive and successful role in today’s diverse society.
The Role of the Parent
Furthermore, we recognise the importance of working collaboratively alongside parents and carers in order to deliver this sensitive curriculum area. We see parents as the first educators of their children. Ten:Ten Resources are made with an understanding of the foundational role that parents have in educating and nurturing their children on relationship and health matters. Within the program, there is an Online Parental Portal to keep parents informed about what is being taught in school. This will also give them the opportunity to engage with their children in discussion, activity and prayer.
The school ensures that parents are informed of the content throughout the year. Further information can be obtained from our school’s RSE policy and FAQ document produced by the Diocese of Westminster Education Service.
Ten:Ten Resources
DfE Mapping with Ten Ten Resources
EYFS Progression of Knowledge and Skills
KS1 Progression of Knowledge and Skills